Dear friends,
With a major land war raging on in Europe and a developing civil war in Sudan, the violence in the US may seem pale by comparison. And yet.
On Saturday night, a sweet 16 was interrupted by a mass shooting in Dadeville, Alabama. Four people were killed and 28 others were wounded. And this followed a mass shooting in a park in Louisville, Kentucky.
If it seems that the NRA Conventions always follow a mass shooting and precede another, it’s because mass shootings are a regular occurrence.
There have been 1,122 mass shootings since Biden took office. More than 460 people have died by gun violence in the US in the last seven days.
The violence is not pale by comparison. The civilian death toll in Sudan in the last three days is about 100 people. That’s also not okay.
Tell your Congressional representative (again!) that we need an Assault Weapons Ban. This quick action is from Everytown for Gun Safety.
I am tired of being told that we need more guns and more police to make us safe. Today, Jim Jordan has convened a hearing in NYC to depict our city as crime-ridden and underserved by the Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg.
This is obviously a political stunt. Recent NYC crime data show a drop in shootings, homicides, and other crimes.
“The chairman says this hearing is about violent crime in Manhattan,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the ranking Democrat on the committee who represents Manhattan. “But New York remains one of the safest big cities in America.”
Let’s not let the facts get in the way.
If you were appalled to learn that the NYPD is bringing back Digidog, a remote-controlled robot used for reconnaissance, you are not alone. Although the NYPD insists that the robotic dogs
will only be used during life-threatening situations, such as bomb threats,
a spokesperson for the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), has raised concern about weaponization and police surveillance using robotic technologies.
Adams cancelled a previous contract with the manufacture of the dogs after public outcry when one was used during a 2021 home invasion.
And, of course, there are concerns about the price tag — $750,000 for two dogs.
The NYPD has tried to do an end-run around the law by categorizing multiple camera-equipped tools — with different capabilities and different manufacturers —as part of one policy. The Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD has criticized this move as counter to the intention of the oversight law.
The NYPD is bypassing the public notification process. Remember us? the public?
Tell Mayor Adams that spending on new surveillance tools without allowing public comment is a violation of the POST law. I made it easy.
The governor of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency because of erosion caused by storms. More than 1 in 5 residents of the island's population live in areas at high risk for flooding, which also jeopardizes infrastructure.
It’s a short-sighted plan and an expensive one: for the same $12 billion, all 3 million residents of Puerto Rico could have rooftop solar panels and storage capacity.
Tell the President to invest FEMA funds to equip everyone in Puerto Rico with rooftop solar. This quick action is from Earth Justice.
Here’s a Wendell Berry poem to sustain you through the rest of this post and hopefully, through the rest of the day:
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Action is the nemesis of despair. You can phone bank with the Environmental Voter Project to help move others into action.
Join the Environmental Voter Project to turn out low-propensity environmental voters. Build political power for climate action.
I’m about to head out to walk among the trees, which reminds me of an action that gives me a feeling of power and grace.
Plant some trees with Climate Action Now and Eden Reforestation Project. It’s the perfect gift for a friend.
In case you took Friday off, here is a repeat action. Do this even if you can’t bring yourself to do anything else. You can take this action from anywhere.
Let NYS legislative leaders know you want the Climate, Jobs, and Justic package in the budget. This quick action is from NY Renews.
with love,
L
That poem has saved me so many times. I love that it popped up again for me today. I used to have it taped to my classroom door, and read it before I opened the door each hour to greet the next group of kids.